Fire blight, caused by the bacteria Erwinia amylovora, causes scorched and blackened areas of infection on trees. Virginia Tech estimates damage from fire blight bacteria can cause more than $100 million annually and the expense to remove infected trees and limbs can cost growers $67 to $2,134 per hectare. The university said fire blight control costs growers $527 to $1,354 annually.
Researchers at the university will lead a team throughout the country’s apple- and pear-producing states to develop management tools at all stages of fire blight infections. The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded a $5.7 million grant for this project.
“We want to create the next generation of management tools for fire blight,” Srdjan Acimovic, assistant professor at Virginia Tech and project leader, said in a report published by the university. “Our project is the first to address fire blight at all stages of the disease — from blossom blight to shoot blight to cankers on wood. We aim to revolutionize fire blight management, providing sustainable solutions for growers while ensuring the economic and environmental viability of the pome fruit industry.”
The research project includes collaborators from Carnegie Mellon University, Michigan State University, Washington State University, Oregon State University, Cornell University, the University of Virginia, and Connecticut’s Agricultural Experiment Station, according to the report.
“Our team will leverage expertise in robotics, machine learning, plant pathology, genetics, diagnostics, epidemiology, microbiomics, molecular biology, disease management, economics, and more to provide growers with critically needed effective control options that address all stages of fire blight disease,” Acimovic said.
Objectives for the research include:
- Improving fire blight canker mapping and detection using unmanned ground vehicles with advanced camera technology to produce 3D orchard maps.
- Better understanding of the fire blight pathogen.
- Developing bacterial enzymes, yeasts, chemicals and other biological controls to combat the bacteria on flowers and shoots.
- Economic feasibility studies and cost modeling to identify the most cost-effective tools.
